Prospective French teachers will soon be able to get their education largely through Grande Prairie Regional College. The school has partnered with the University of Alberta’s Campus Saint-Jean to offer a French Bachelor of Education degree program starting this fall.
Students will spend the first two years of their education at the satellite campus at GPRC and the last two years at Campus Saint-Jean with their practicum in the Grande Prairie area. They will have access to services and support from both campuses throughout.
Dean of Faculté Saint-Jean and Executive Officer of Campus Saint-Jean Professor Pierre-Yves Mocquais says they’ll also be relying on support of Francophone and Francophile communities, calling it an “ambitious project.” GPRC’s Dean of the School of Arts, Science and Upgrading Dr. Brian Redmond adds, “It’s these types of partnerships that bring GPRC one step closer to our goal of becoming the northern centre of post-secondary excellence in Alberta.”
The schools say the goal is, in part, to increase the number of teachers in French immersion and Francophone schools, as well as help French communities across Alberta. Among the programs offered will be a Bachelor of Education Elementary and Secondary, as well as two-year After Degree Programs in both.
Registration for these programs is open until March 1st.
